1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to credit card issuing systems and, more specifically, to a credit card system with physical, temporary shopping pass (TSP) cards located in sealed packages at a store that can be immediately and securely activated at the store.
2. Background of the Invention
Generally, if a credit card application is approved, a credit card is sent by mail. The time lag can be problematic if time is of the essence. For example, if a consumer wants to apply or an existing customer has lost their card and either one wants to make a purchase immediately, filling out a credit card application does not provide help when needed due to the need to wait to receive a credit card in the mail. Dedicated electronic devices have been utilized at stores to activate credit cards but are not user friendly to use and accordingly have only found very limited acceptance.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,896,237 provides actual but inactive credit cards that can be activated at the store. However, there are numerous security problems with this system that could allow fraudulent use of the cards. For example, by copying the actual card numbers, and waiting a period of time until the actual customer activates, the card numbers can be used fraudulently by a third person.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,567,934 teaches providing a temporary number for online use or an actual credit card sent through the mail for limited transactions but does not provide a mechanism to quickly and securely activate a card at a store.
Numerous other prior patents relate to credit card systems but do not address the problems discussed above. Consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate the present invention.